I let the release of Madi Diaz’ new LP, Plastic Moon, sneak up on me. Since giving the EP a whim of a listen-through, back seat treatment to the live show, honestly, I anticipated that the LP would be one to write home about, comparatively.
Madi’s voice is strong. Her songwriting skills are apparent, though I don’t know enough about her and collaborator Kyle Ryan’s individual styles to pick the two apart. I saw them play the Drunken Unicorn one super-unusually-rainy Thursday night in September. Thoughts of those warm, but hauntingly wayward, tunes, projected from the dusty cracks of old, loved, wooden, Nashville resident guitars, and Madi’s voice carrying in a room somewhat neglected because of external conditions, call up visions of wet cowboy boots and road tires. Madi’s sound and the band’s precision in creating almost-accidental mood made them all seem so Johnny Cash kind of rock n’ roll to me.
I hope John Alagia helped in the capture of those dusty, warming sounds – that mood. Alagia gets recognition for aiding in the products of boring, cookie-cutter sounds like John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band, but his musical whit and technique are present on more important musical contributions, like his work with Rachael Yamagata or even the Blue Man Group. The uniqueness of Madi’s sound (not necessarily her voice, but her style of backing it herself) is subtle. And that, history tells, is a particularly difficult thing to correctly capture.
So enough of my reminiscence! Plastic Moon is now available. Madi and the band are having a busy day, I’m sure – off tour and back at base camp in Nashville, where they’re doing an in-store showcase today and a release show tonight. Show details are as follows:
1/24 – Nashville, TN @ Grimey’s In-store
1/24 – Nashville, TN @ Revolver (Record Release!)
2/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theatre
Check out the band if you’re in Nashville or L.A. For a sneak peak, check out the opening track off the new record below.
Free Download: Madi Diaz – “Gimme A Kiss”
